*Who isn't Xephos shipped with?*

TW: None. 

Title: ~Sky~

Xephos loved the night sky most of all.

He could see the stars; sometimes, he fancied one was his home, far, far away, where no one would ever look for him again. He was safe here, and happy, like he never had been up there. He’d still miss it sometimes, miss the way things worked, miss the flawless ways he’d found to break so many of the rules in one night.

Ah, and what a great night it had been. Murder, theft, unauthorized piloting, revealing his existence to other sentient beings - and those were just the basic ones he remembered off the top of his head. He’d been a great criminal, no other quite as skilled as him. It had been a shame to leave that home, but the law was strict and he’d hated it anyway.

Far away, another man not quite human, stood and watched as the moon set.

Rythian loved the bright day sky most of all.

Overhead, he would see the sun; other times, he would see weak beams of light trying to break through clouds that seemed impenetrable. He felt safe when the sunlight was on his face, because nothing from his nightmares could find him there. Sometimes he missed the darkness, the creatures that had understood him, the surety that he would always belong.

He’d never return to that world - he could, if he wanted, and he was tempted sometimes. The Queen, if he returned willingly, would be kind to him. But he had a new queen that lit the sky overhead, and he loved it much more.

They met at dusk, on the hill where they loved to watch the sky. Xephos had arrived early, to see the stars rise; Rythian had stayed late, to see the sun set.

“Why are you here?” The mage said accusingly as he rose to his feet, warily facing Xephos.

“To see the stars,” the spaceman told him calmly. “You, too?”

Rythian glanced at the sky. “No,” he said. “I was here to see the sun.”

Xephos snorted. “There’s no use in that. You can’t look at the sun.”

“That’s why I love it,” the endermage said softly, the faintest smile ghosting over his lips as he turned to Xephos. “It’s so beautiful it hurts.”

The spaceman frowned slightly. “You don’t like the stars, then?” He asked.

Rythian shook his head. “No, not really. They’re so far away, and so unreachable.”

Xephos laughed. “I’m glad they’re unreachable. Means they can’t get me here.”

“You don’t want to go home?” Rythian said softly, tilting his head as his soft purple eyes watched the spaceman shift slightly.

“No,” Xephos admitted. “I’d do anything to stay here.”

Rythian laughed. “We’re truly opposites, spaceman. You hate you home and can’t return, but I love mine and don’t want to return.”

Xephos opened his mouth as if to ask what the hell the endermage meant, but dropped the subject with a shrug.

“Here,” he said suddenly, grabbing Rythian’s hand and pulling him down as he sat on the grass. “Let me show you the stars.”

The mage grumbled as he pulled his legs closer, crossing them and glowering at Xephos. The spaceman laughed at his sour expression, reaching towards the torch that burned, night and day, on the hill. He put it out, and the darkness that swallowed them was abrupt and complete.

Except, it wasn’t. Rythian noticed that Xephos’ face was faintly lit up by the glow from his eyes, and he imagined he must look the same.

“Don’t look at me,” Xephos told him with a chuckle. “Look there.”

Rythian let his eyes wander from Xephos’ face down to his shoulder, and across the outstretched arm. Somewhere, the spaceman’s pointing hand melted into shadow, and the sky began.

It truly was beautiful. Rythian couldn’t understand how he’d not seen the way all of the stars seemed to fit, like pieces of a puzzle. The moon that hung overhead was stunning as well; the faint glow it cast slowly lit up the landscape and the two beings on it.

And then Rythian understood. As his purple gaze made its ambling way back to the blue eyes watching him, he realized that it wasn’t the night sky that was beautiful.

It was the man next to him that was. The night sky, in its entirety, was overshadowed by him. It wasn’t the moon that lit up the night; it was his eyes, glowing innocently.

“It is pretty,” Rythian told him softly. “Thank you for showing me.”

Xephos smiled, and the light around them brightened incrementally. “You’re welcome,” he said quietly. “To repay me, you’ll show me the beauty of the sun, right?”

Rythian laughed. “I can show you the sun and the shadows,” he said. “Then your eyes won’t glow when you’re afraid.”